Ingredients:
Chicken thigh meat
Yogurt
Garam masala
Chili powder
Turmeric
Salt
Baking soda
Canned tomatoes
Onion
Oil
Recipe:
Step 1: Dice the chicken. In a container, combine yogurt, masala, turmeric, chili powder, and salt (important note: be sure to remember the salt). Mix well, add the diced chicken, and massage it into the marinade. Then refrigerate and marinate for 12 hours.
Step 2: After 12 hours, slice or dice the onion and put it in a pot. Add a little oil, a little salt, and baking soda to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is caramelized.
Step 2.5: In a container, combine oil, masala, and chili powder and mix to make spiced oil (because some spices are fat-soluble). Set aside.
Step 3: After the onion is caramelized, remove it from the pot. Add the diced chicken to the pot and pan-fry until cooked, then remove.
Step 4: Add the spiced oil and canned tomatoes, stir and fry, and finally add the cooked diced chicken.
Step 5: Drizzle with cream to garnish and enhance the flavor. Done.
Thoughts after cooking:
Basically, the strength of this dish lies in the combination of masala spice and canned tomatoes, so always taste the sauce and add masala as needed. Most of the flavor is similar to korma; the main differences are basically just the amount of yogurt and the canned tomatoes. Because canned tomatoes are added in this dish, it has a more tangy flavor and is slightly less likely to feel heavy. If there is anything that could further raise the level of satisfaction, it would definitely be the flavor of the meat itself and extra fat. So when making this dish, chicken thigh meat and chunks of beef or lamb are the top choices, and I have already come up with a good idea for you: use long-braised beef and lamb. I guarantee that will be the most satisfying rice you have ever eaten in your life. Also, uh, when I actually made it, I used chicken breast. In the heating step, this almost inevitably makes the texture dry and tough. This is different from chicken breast korma, and may be something worth thinking about, but you are not scientists, and I also don’t recommend trying it with chicken breast chunks.
If the goal is to reproduce the original recipe, the caramelized onion in Step 2 is absolutely not necessary; simply cooking the onion until cooked and soft is enough. But if you have never tried caramelized onion, I would highly recommend trying it, because the caramelization and Maillard reaction of caramelized onion can bring out buttery, caramel, and meaty aromas. It can be called a very fascinating piece of cooking magic on the culinary path. I recommend trying it.